RADM Steinman to marry |
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Gay
Military Signal gives a hearty "MAZELTOV!"
to RADM Alan Steinman, USCG Ret., for
his upcoming wedding to his long time
partner USAF Reserve Master Sgt Ret.
Dallas Powers.
The couple is helping to raise
Steinman's adopted son, and they will be
married the third weekend in September.
Officiating at the wedding will be
Steinman's niece, Rabbi Eleanor Steinman.
This "celebration
of
freedom"
is
significant
in that
as the
most
senior
out gay
retired
flag
officer,
RADM
Steinman
has made
momentous
personal
sacrifices
in his
efforts
advocating
the
repeal
of Don't
Ask
Don't
Tell and
in
advancing
the
right of
same sex
marriage.
He
served
as the
US Coast
Guard's
Director
of
Health
and
Safety.
After
retiring,
he came
out
publicly in
2003 in
an Op-Ed
article
in The
New York
Times,
along
with
Generals
Keith
Kerr and
Virgil
Richard.
He
served
on the
Military
Advisory
Board of
SLDN,
was
Senior
Advisor
of the
Call To
Duty
Tour (which
transitioned
to
become
Servicemembers
United).
On four
separate
occasions he
was invited
by former
Chairman of
the Joint
Chiefs of
Staff,
General John
M.
Shalikashvili
to discuss
with him the
issue of
gays in the
military at
the
General's
home in
Steilacoom,
WA. During
these
meetings
Steinman
brought
along LGBT
service
members and
advocates of
DADT repeal
(including
Professor
Aaron Belkin
from the
Palm Center
and Dixon
Osburn, then
CEO of SLDN,
and Alex
Nicholson
and Jarrod
Chlapowski,
leaders of
the Call to
Duty Tour).
As a result
of these
meetings,
General
Shalikashvili subsequently
supported
allowing gay
and lesbian
open service
in a New
York Times Op-Ed
article.
This was
highly
significant
since it
then
empowered
other senior
officers to
also speak
out publicly
in favor of
DADT repeal.
In addition,
RADM
Steinman has
worked closely with
Aaron Belkin
of the Palm
Center as
well as HRC
on crucial
research
regarding
LGBT
military
service.
And he was a
co-founding
member, of
the Puget
Sound
Chapter of
American
Veterans For
Equal Rights
(the LGBT
veterans'
service
org.), along
with Michael
Kilmer,
Grete
Cammermeyer
and Julz
Carey.
Later,
RADM
Steinman
was
asked to
brief
President
Elect
Obama's
transition
team
regarding
DADT, as
well as
the
Pentagon's
Comprehensive
Working
Group
leaders
studying
the
DoD's
transition
to open
service.
He was
invited
by the
White
House to
attend
President
Obama's
signing
ceremony
repealing
the
Don't
Ask
Don't
Tell
policy. Most
recently,
he
testified
in
the Washington
State
legislative
hearing
regarding
same sex
marriage.
Hence,
he is
most
deserving
in
celebrating
freedom
in his
marriage
to the
man he
loves.
For
further
information
detailing
some of
RADM
Steinman's
advocacy,
see the
more
than
dozen
articles
by him
in
GayMilitarySignal.com.
©2013
GayMilitarySignal
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